July 11, 2012

LePage letters blast Pingree in dispute over Medicaid

It is "astounding that you would actively advocate for the federal government to overrule Maine decisions," LePage writes to Pingree.

By Kevin Miller kmiller@mainetoday.com
Washington Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON — Gov. Paul LePage blasted U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree today, accusing the Democrat of becoming "part of the jet-setting Washington culture that keeps people dependent on government handouts" and representing bureaucrats over Maine residents.

click image to enlarge

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree and Gov. Paul LePage

AP

Related Documents

Read Gov. LePage's letter to Rep. Pingree
Read Gov. LePage's letter to Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Read Rep. Pingree's letter to Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Read Secretary Sebelius' Letter to the Governors

In an escalation of the political tensions over Medicaid in Maine, LePage said Pingree's recent letter to President Obama's health secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, was "careless in its facts" and failed to mention that proposed cuts to Medicaid were approved by the state Legislature.

"If you would like to attack me personally, fine, but it is irresponsible and a disservice to Maine people to try and hide the facts from a [Cabinet] secretary," LePage wrote in a July 11 letter to Pingree, D-District 1.

Pingree responded Wednesday afternoon that she was representing the estimated 27,000 Mainers who stand to lose their health coverage through Medicaid if the cuts are enacted.

“I didn’t mean to be in a personal dispute with the governor but I’m not going to back down on my opinion on this," Pingree said in an interview.

(Continued on page 2)

Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

Send question/comment to the editors




Further Discussion

Here at PressHerald.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.

Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include:
  • Type of computer or mobile device your are using
  • Exact operating system and browser you are viewing the site on (TIP: You can easily determine your operating system here.)


Most…